


Fever Dreams

by MysticMoonlight_04



Category: Castlevania (Cartoon), 悪魔城ドラキュラ | Castlevania Series
Genre: Angst, Family, Fluff, Gen, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:20:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21563650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MysticMoonlight_04/pseuds/MysticMoonlight_04
Summary: Adrian doesn't feel well. Thankfully, he has two loving parents to watch over him.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 52





	Fever Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place before Lisa's death. They were a happy family then.

“What’s taking him so long?” Vlad asked Lisa as they sat at the dining table.

“Just give him a minute,” Lisa said. “I’m sure he’ll be down here soon.”

“If you say so.”

Vlad and Lisa were in one of the castle’s many dining rooms. It was nice and small, perfect for a family of three. They usually ate breakfast and dinner together in the dining room, unless Lisa was too busy with patients, or Vlad was out traveling. Lisa cooked the meals most of the time, but occasionally Vlad wanted to surprise her with a new recipe that he had created. This time, Lisa had made pancakes, which were Adrian’s favorite. 

Vlad and Lisa sat patiently at the table, waiting for their son to arrive. Even though Vlad and Adrian were vampires—or half-vampire in Adrian’s case—they had learned to wake in the mornings rather than at night, so that they could spend more time with Lisa. Adrian was a young man now, and he was usually very responsible about being on time, so his being late was strange, even worrying.

“I’m going to go check on him,” Lisa said as she stood from the table. “It’s been far too long.”

Vlad nodded in agreement, and Lisa left the room. She climbed the staircase to the third floor of the castle, where Adrian’s bedroom was. She approached his door and knocked quietly. 

“Adrian?” she called. “Adrian, sweetheart, is everything all right?”

There was no response, and Lisa began to worry. She slowly turned the doorknob and peered inside, before entering the large bedroom. There was a shape on the bed, and as she stepped closer, she was surprised to see that her son was still asleep. He was lying on his back with the blankets pulled high up over his body. 

“Adrian?” she asked. “Adrian, what are you still doing in bed?”

A quiet moan escaped his lips, but nothing more. Lisa frowned, sat on the bed, and pulled the blankets down a little so that Adrian would wake up. He didn’t move. 

“Adrian!” Lisa called, louder this time. 

Adrian finally opened his eyes. 

“Mother?” he asked, his voice hoarse. He cleared his throat. 

“Why are you still in bed?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s late. We were waiting on you for breakfast. I made your favorite.”

“O-Oh...I am sorry, Mother. I don’t know what happened.”

“Is something the matter, sweetheart?”

“No...”

“All right, then. Hurry and get dressed now. Your father and I will wait for you.”

“Thank you, Mother.”

Lisa leaned over and kissed her son’s forehead, but she pulled away and frowned. Adrian felt warm, but she decided not to worry about it. He had said that nothing was wrong, so she stood and left the room, closing the door behind her. 

When his mother left, Adrian sighed. Something was _very_ wrong. His head was killing him, pounding incessantly. He felt cold, despite the fact that he was buried under his blankets. His mother had noticed something—the way that she had pulled away from him indicated that—but he didn’t want to worry her. 

Adrian sat up, groaning. Every muscle in his body ached, and he was overcome by a wave of dizziness. He waited for the feeling to pass before standing and getting dressed. Even with his black coat, gloves, and boots, he was freezing. Adrian decided not to think about it, and he was wary of the time—he didn’t want to keep his parents waiting any longer on his behalf. He stepped into the dark corridor and shut his door behind him, before using his vampiric speed to teleport to the dining room. 

He realized too late that he had made a mistake. 

As he moved, he was hit with another dizzy spell, which sent him crashing into a small table that was in the hallway outside the dining room. A vase fell from it and broke on the floor with a loud crash. Adrian held his head and closed his eyes as he lay in the debris. He heard quick footsteps approaching, and his mother’s face appeared above him.

“Adrian?!” Lisa cried. “What happened?”

Adrian’s face reddened. “Nothing, I...I do not know. I’m sorry, I will clean this up—”

“No, no. It’s fine, Adrian. We can clean it later. Come, you need to eat.”

She helped him sit up and they entered the dining room. Vlad gave Lisa a confused look, but she just shook her head. Lisa and Adrian sat down, and the three of them began to eat. 

Adrian took a few bites of food before he began to feel nauseated. He drank a sip of water to get rid of the feeling, but it didn’t help. If anything, he felt worse. 

“Adrian, remember, today I’m going to show you how to combine different herbs for remedies,” Lisa said. “We’ll meet in the laboratory after breakfast, yes?”

“Yes, Mother,” the dhampir said tiredly. 

He had almost forgotten about his lesson. Lisa often took him to the laboratory to teach him about medicine. Other days, Vlad would teach him about history in the library. Adrian enjoyed his lessons because he could learn, and it gave him a chance to spend time with his parents. Most days, however, either his mother was too busy, or his father was away. The dhampir would then read alone in the library or in his bedroom. 

Adrian suddenly felt overwhelmed. He sat still, closed his eyes, and took deep breaths. He knew that he couldn’t eat anymore, but he didn’t want to raise suspicion with his parents. Before he could decide what to do, Lisa reached over and placed her hand on his. 

“Why aren’t you eating?” she asked. “Pancakes are your favorite. Your father and I have already finished.”

Adrian saw that his mother was right. Their plates were cleared, while he still had two pancakes left. 

“I am just...not hungry right now,” he said weakly.

Pressure built up in his chest, and his headache was getting worse. He coughed quietly into his fist before looking up to see his parents’ concerned gazes. 

“E-Excuse me...” Adrian said, as he stood from his seat and rushed out of the room. 

“Adrian!” Lisa called, but he was already long gone. 

“What‘s going on with him?” Vlad asked. 

“I’m not sure, but something’s not right.”

“What happened out in the hallway?”

“I found him on the floor. The table and vase were broken. I think he tried to teleport, but he crashed somehow.”

“That’s odd...”

“Yes,” Lisa paused. “Perhaps we’re thinking too much about it. He told me this morning that nothing was wrong. Besides, humans trip on their own feet all the time. He probably did the same.” Lisa smiled. “You should have seen the look on his face, Vlad. He looked mortified.”

The vampire smiled. “Tripping while teleporting? That’s definitely his human side.”

Lisa laughed. “I’m sure.”

***

Adrian stumbled into his room after another failed teleportation. He doubled over and coughed violently. He couldn’t breathe, and every time he tried to take a deep breath, the coughing got worse. Tears formed in his eyes as the coughs wracked his body, and he fell to his hands and knees. His heart throbbed in his chest as he gasped for breath. It hurt. Everything hurt, and he didn’t know what was wrong. After a few moments, the dhampir was finally able to calm down. He leaned against his bed and took deep breaths as he wiped the tears from his eyes. Then he promptly got to his feet, smoothed out his coat, and made his way to the laboratory to meet with his mother. 

Adrian didn’t teleport this time. He knew that it would only result in another crash. The laboratory was on the first floor, so he made his way down the stairs and into the large, brightly lit room. He stood in the doorway and watched as his mother gathered supplies. She turned around, saw Adrian in the doorway, and smiled. 

“Hello, Adrian,” she said. “Come in. I’ve got everything ready here.”

Adrian obeyed and stood at a counter with his mother. 

“Why did you leave the table so suddenly?” Lisa asked.

The dhampir looked away. “I—never mind.”

“Adrian.”

“It was _nothing_ , Mother!”

Lisa gave him a disapproving look. “Fine. I won’t ask you again.”

Adrian felt terribly guilty. He didn’t mean to yell at his mother, but he felt agitated. He let out a sigh and took a seat at the counter. It felt like there was a hammer in his head, pounding away inside his skull. He was freezing and overheated at the same time, and there was a slight tremor in his hands.

Lisa began showing him how to make medicines for different ailments. She told him how much of each mixture should be put into one dose, and how to make stronger doses if the first ones were ineffective. Adrian paid attention to his mother as best as he could, but he felt terrible and it was hard for him to focus.

Lisa left the counter to get some more supplies from a shelf nearby. There was a stab of pain in the dhampir’s head, sudden and overwhelming, and he whimpered quietly as he squeezed his eyes shut and put his head down on the table, on top of his folded arms. 

“This mixture here helps with pain,” Lisa said, as she returned to the counter with bottles of medicine. “I usually prescribe it to patients who have been injured, for example, if they’ve broken a bone.” She held up another bottle. “Now, this one is made with the same ingredients, but in different amounts...” Lisa trailed off as she looked at her son. “Adrian, look at me when I’m talking to you.”

The dhampir didn’t move. 

“Adrian,” Lisa sighed. “Come now, don’t be difficult.”

He still didn’t respond, so Lisa stepped towards him and shook his shoulder. She started to panic when he remained motionless.

“Adrian?” she asked. “Adrian!”

Lisa turned him over so that she could see his face, and she gasped. He was pale and unconscious, his eyes screwed shut in pain. He was shaking, and his skin was hot. Lisa ran to the doorway of the laboratory and flung the doors open.

“Vlad!” she called into the foyer. She knew that he would hear her, no matter where he was in the castle. “Vlad!”

The vampire appeared in front of her a few seconds later. 

“What is it, my love?” he asked. 

“It...it’s Adrian! I don’t know what’s wrong with him!”

“What?”

“Look, he's not moving, and he’s burning up—”

“Slow down, Lisa,” Vlad interrupted. “It will be all right. You need to stay calm if you want to help him.”

Lisa nodded. “You’re right...”

The two approached their son, who was still unconscious at the counter. 

“Adrian?” Vlad asked gently. 

He placed his hand on his son’s forehead and pushed his hair back. Adrian stirred, and slowly opened his eyes as Vlad removed his hand. 

“Father...?” he asked wearily, as he sat up.

“What’s the matter, Adrian?”

“I...I don’t feel well. It _hurts_ , Father...”

“What hurts?”

“Everything. I...I can’t breathe, and my head...” the dhampir’s voice broke. “I don’t know what’s happening, please, I—”

“Shh, calm down, son,” Vlad said. “You’re going to be all right. Your mother and I are going to help you. Don’t cry.”

Adrian realized that tears were falling from his eyes. He was panicking and in pain, and he was worrying his parents. The dhampir took deep breaths and tried to stand, but his knees buckled and his father had to catch him. 

“Take him to the counter over here,” Lisa instructed. “Lay him down, I’ll check his symptoms.”

Seeing Adrian in pain was heartbreaking, and Lisa wanted to help him. It was pitiful, seeing her son, who was usually so strong, break down because he was scared and hurting.

Vlad hooked his left arm under his son’s knees and wrapped his right arm around Adrian’s back. He carried Adrian to the counter and laid him down. The dhampir’s eyes had fallen closed, as he was losing consciousness again. His breath hitched as another sharp pain made its way through his head. Lisa brushed his hair back to comfort him, and he let out a soft moan. She then rested her hand on his forehead. For a dhampir, he was extremely warm. 

“Vampires’ body temperatures are significantly colder than humans’, correct?” she asked her husband.

Vlad nodded.

“It feels as if he has a fever, but...it feels like the temperature that marks a human fever. If that’s the case, then he is a lot warmer than he, as a half-vampire, should be.”

“We need to cool him down, first,” Vlad said. “I’ll get a towel and cold water.”

With that, the vampire left in a flash of red, and returned shortly with the items. Lisa soaked the towel in the water, then wrung out the excess. She wiped Adrian’s face with it and ran it over his forehead. After a while, she felt his cheek with the back of her hand. He was significantly cooler than before, which was a good sign. 

“He’s cooling down,” Lisa said. 

“Good,” Vlad said. “We should check his other vitals.”

Lisa nodded and lifted Adrian’s hand. She removed his glove and took his wrist. She then placed her fingers over the veins in his wrist, counting quietly to herself as she felt his pulse. Lisa gently set his hand down and leaned over his chest to listen to his heartbeat. The dhampir’s heart pounded heavily in his chest, and his breathing was hoarse. Lisa straightened back up and looked at Vlad. 

“His breaths are raspy, and his heartbeat is a bit faster than normal,” she said. “He mentioned that he couldn’t breathe, and he said that his head hurt. Adrian has a fever, but it’s nothing serious. He just needs to rest.”

“Very well,” Vlad said. “I shall take him to his room. Do you have any medicine that you can give him?”

“Yes. It should help with his headache, at the very least. I’ll meet you in his room.”

Vlad gently picked Adrian up from the counter. The dhampir didn’t move, as he was still unconscious. Vlad climbed the stairs and opened Adrian’s bedroom door, careful as to not jostle his son. He lay Adrian down on the bed and pulled the blankets over him. Vlad then sat on the bedside and watched his son sleep. Adrian’s chest rose and fell with gentle breaths, but his face was contorted in pain. 

After a moment, Lisa walked into the bedroom with a bottle of medicine and a small spoon. She approached the bed and sighed as she saw the look on her son’s face. 

“I wish he had told us something was wrong,” she said. “I mean, I suspected, but...”

“I know what you mean,” said Vlad. “But you know him. He’s very strong, and he doesn’t want to worry us with things that he deems insignificant.”

“I’m so proud of him. Always thinking about others before himself.”

“Well, he _was_ raised by a doctor.”

Lisa smiled and patted Vlad’s hand affectionately. 

“I need to wake him so I can give him the medicine,” she said, before crouching down at Adrian’s bedside. “Adrian. Adrian, honey, I need you to wake up.”

Adrian stirred, but didn’t open his eyes. 

“Adrian,” Lisa tried again. “You need to take this. It will make you feel better, sweetheart. Please?”

The dhampir moved to turn over in bed, but he suddenly winced and clutched his head in both hands.

“Mother...” he whimpered.

“Shh, it’s okay, Adrian,” she soothed. “I’m right here. I know it hurts. Just breathe, okay? I have medicine for you. It will make you feel better.”

Adrian opened his eyes, damp with tears, and he looked pitifully at his mother. Lisa opened the medicine bottle as Vlad helped Adrian sit up. She put the spoon in Adrian’s mouth, and he swallowed. It didn’t taste very good, but he didn’t display his distaste. 

“You need to rest some more,” Lisa said as she tucked a few strands of her son’s hair behind his ear. “Lie down, now. Try to get some sleep. Your father and I will be nearby if you need anything, all right?”

Adrian nodded as he lay back down. He coughed a few times into his fist before closing his eyes. Vlad stood from the bed and shut the curtains in the bedroom. It was early afternoon now, and he didn’t want the bright sun to disturb Adrian’s sleep. He nodded his head towards the open doorway, and Lisa exited the room. Vlad looked at his sleeping son once more before stepping into the hallway and closing the door behind him. 

***

_Adrian was lost. Everything was dark, and he couldn’t see. He cried for his parents, but he got no response. His panicked breathing echoed throughout the abandoned corridors of the castle. “They’ve left me. My parents have left me.”_

_Adrian’s heart was beating too loudly. He could hear it in his head, and feel it hammering against his rib cage._

_“Come back. Please, come back! Don’t leave me alone here—!”_

Adrian woke with a gasp, his head spinning as he sat up. He looked around. All he saw was darkness. His parents weren’t there.

“Mother?” he asked, his voice low. “M-Mother!”

Adrian panicked and threw the blankets off of him as he stood. Despite just waking up, he felt like he was about to pass out. 

“Mother!” he cried, tears now blurring his vision. 

The dhampir was overtaken by another coughing fit after yelling so much, and he fell to the floor. Where was his mother? Why wasn’t she coming for him? She said that she would be nearby, but she wasn’t here! Adrian’s coughing turned into muffled sobs. He started crawling towards his bedroom door, but he didn’t have the energy to make it across the room, and he fell over onto his back, breathing heavily. Everything hurt so badly, and he was scared. Were his parents really gone? 

Adrian tried to focus, but he was dizzy, and his mind was a haze of panicked thoughts. He lay there on the ground, sobbing quietly for his mother.

***

Vlad and Lisa were in the library, down the hall from Adrian’s room. A few hours had passed since they took him to bed, and they had both been reading to pass the time. Vlad suddenly looked up from his book and tilted his head. 

“Do you hear that?” he asked.

Lisa looked at her husband. “What is it?”

“It sounds like coughing, and...crying.”

“Adrian!” 

Lisa stood from her seat and rushed down the hallway, Vlad following close behind. She could hear it now—her son was calling her name, calling for his mother, and she hadn’t come for him. Lisa opened the door and found Adrian on the floor, a sobbing, coughing mess.

“Adrian, I’m here,” she said soothingly, as she knelt down beside him. “I’m here, honey. I’m here. It’s okay, sweetheart. Don’t cry, now.”

Adrian looked up. “You were gone, I-I couldn’t find you. I thought you had left me—”

“I will never leave you, Adrian. It was just a nightmare. Sometimes people have bad dreams—fever dreams—when they are sick. That’s all it was. I’m right here, okay?”

Adrian tried to speak, but all he could do was cough. 

“Take deep breaths, Adrian,” Vlad said. “Calm down, son. Deep breaths.”

Adrian did as he was told, and after a moment, he was able to catch his breath. 

“Good,” Vlad said. “Do you feel better, now?”

“A little,” Adrian said weakly. “I am sorry, I did not mean for this to happen.”

“Oh, hush now, Adrian,” Lisa said. “Don’t apologize. Everybody has bad dreams.”

“W-Why is this happening to me?”

“I guess you can get sick due to your human side,” Vlad said. “Remember, you have gotten sick a few times before, when you were younger.”

Adrian nodded and closed his eyes. 

“Adrian?” Lisa asked. “Adrian, honey, do you want to go back to bed?”

The dhampir frowned and shook his head. 

“You need to rest, son,” Vlad said.

“No...” Adrian muttered. “No, please don’t leave...”

Lisa brushed her son’s hair back as Vlad picked him up.

“How about this?” she started. “You can rest in your bed, and your father and I can stay in here with you. Is that okay?”

Adrian nodded as Vlad set him down on the bed. 

“Thank you...” he whispered.

Adrian sniffed and wiped at his eyes without opening them. A small whimper escaped him as he tried to take a deep breath. Lisa sat on his bedside and pulled the blankets over him, resting her hand on his chest. The dhampir fell asleep, shivering in his bed as his mother took his hand. 

Vlad pulled a chair to the side of the bed and sat down. He and Lisa simply sat and watched Adrian for a while, listening to his quiet breaths. He stirred in his sleep every once in a while, but otherwise he was calm. 

“My poor child,” Lisa said, breaking the silence. “I hate it when he’s unwell.”

“I know,” Vlad said. 

“It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, I feel so bad for him.”

“He will be just fine.”

“I just feel so helpless, you know?”

“But you’re a doctor, Lisa. Your job is to heal people.”

“Yes, but it’s different with him. He’s my son, and he’s different. He is not like other people.”

“He _is_ half-vampire.”

“That’s the thing—illnesses and injuries affect him differently than they affect humans. I’m still learning all of his body’s capabilities. Being ill is somewhat of a foreign concept to him. His body shuts down, and his powers are limited, like when he tried to teleport.”

Vlad smiled at the thought. “I suppose you’re right.”

Adrian began to move, but Lisa brushed his hair back to calm him. 

“Shh, Adrian. Go back to sleep,” she said, before turning to her husband. “We’re being too loud. He needs some more rest. His fever is dropping, but we need to make sure it stays down.”

Vlad nodded and leaned back in his seat. The two sat in silence as they let Adrian recover. 

***

Adrian began to regain consciousness, but he didn’t open his eyes. His body felt heavy, and he was exhausted. The dhampir heard a page turning from somewhere to his right. The sound was loud—too loud for his sickly heightened senses. Adrian felt a sharp pain behind his eyes and he whined quietly at the intensity of his headache. He tried to lift his hand, but something held it in place. He finally opened his eyes and saw his mother sitting at his bedside, holding his hand. He turned his head and saw his father sitting with a book. Neither of them seemed to notice that he was awake. 

“Mother...” he muttered, that single word draining his energy.

Lisa turned her head and smiled. “Hello, Adrian. How are you feeling?”

“I am so tired, Mother.”

“Oh? But you slept for quite a while.”

Adrian looked towards his window, and through a gap in the curtains, he saw that the sky was dark. He had been in bed for nearly the entire day. 

“I know,” he said quietly, his eyes tearing up slightly. “Can...can I just sleep a while longer? I-I’m sorry, I know I have been in bed all day—”

“Shh, honey, of course you can,” Lisa soothed. “You’re sick. You need your rest. Don’t apologize for trying to recover. I want you to feel better, okay?”

Adrian nodded. “You do not have to stay here anymore.”

“Why is that?”

“It is night time. You need to sleep, Mother. You have patients to attend to tomorrow.”

“But I have a patient to attend to right now, and he is far more important than them.”

The dhampir’s face heated up. “Mother—”

Lisa laughed, and Vlad smiled as he listened to the conversation. 

“Here, sweetheart, you need to take more medicine,” Lisa said as she picked up the spoon.

She gave Adrian another dose and patted his hand. 

“Go back to sleep, son,” Vlad said. “We will be here when you wake.”

The dhampir found comfort in his father’s words as the darkness overtook him once again.

***

For what seemed like the hundredth time that day, Adrian woke up in his bed. His parents were talking quietly, and there were a few candles lit to provide light in the dark room. He groaned softly as he shifted under the blankets, his muscles still aching. Lisa turned her attention to him and smiled. 

“Adrian, are you awake?” she asked, her voice gentle.

The dhampir nodded.

“Are you feeling better?”

Alucard considered the question. He definitely felt better than he did before, but still not completely recovered. 

“A little bit,” he finally answered. 

Lisa felt his forehead and gave a small frown. 

“You’re still warm,” she said. 

“I have an idea,” Vlad suddenly said from the bedside. “Come with me.”

Lisa gave her husband a confused look before looking to her son. Adrian removed his blankets and slowly stood from the bed with Lisa’s help. Vlad exited the bedroom, and his family followed curiously.

The vampire led them down the hallway and into a wide, circular room, which marked one of the castle’s many towers. He made his way towards a set of double doors on the wall, and he pushed them open, revealing the night sky. Vlad beckoned Lisa and Adrian forward and onto the balcony. 

As Adrian stepped into the cool night air, he felt invigorated. The wind blew softly through his hair as he stared out over the Wallachian countryside. Snowflakes fell lightly on the stone railings of the balcony, and the gentle breeze rustled tree branches, providing a calming ambience. 

“It’s beautiful,” he whispered, as he gazed at the full moon.

“I know,” Vlad said. “I knew you would enjoy it out here. I thought that perhaps it would lift your spirits.”

“I do feel better...Thank you, Father.”

Vlad wrapped an arm around his son’s shoulders and held him close. Adrian leaned against his father as he watched the quiet snowfall. The dhampir suddenly started coughing, so Vlad looked down at his son and rubbed his arm comfortingly.

“You’re all right,” he said in his calm, even voice. “Deep breaths.”

Adrian obeyed, and the coughing subsided. He leaned further into his father’s gentle touch and closed his eyes, cherishing this moment with his parents. He knew that he would feel better in the morning, as if he was healed by his parents’ love for him alone. They had spent hours watching over him in his illness, making sure that he was always comfortable and secure. He couldn’t ask for a better family.

Lisa smiled at the tenderness of the moment. It didn’t matter that her husband and son weren’t human. In her mind, they were the perfect family, and she would love them for all eternity.


End file.
